Policy Statement:
The Knight-Capron Library builds and maintains collections, both physical and electronic, that support the teaching, learning, scholarly, and operational activities of the employees and students in the University of Lynchburg community. We acquire materials based on demonstrated need, anticipated use, and available funding. This policy describes the values and principles that underpin the library’s acquisitions and collection maintenance decisions. Its purpose is to guide library personnel in making collections decisions and to communicate the scope and breadth of the library’s collections to the University of Lynchburg community.
Guiding Values
The Knight-Capron Library adheres to the American Library Association's Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read Statement, the Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries, American Film and Video Association's Freedom to View Statement, and the Association of College & Research Libraries' Diversity Standard #4.
Liaison Librarians are responsible for developing and evaluating collections in assigned subject areas. Faculty are strongly encouraged to share in the selection of materials by recommending materials in their subject area. Although they may concentrate on those areas of the collection which correspond to their liaison assignments, librarians may select or withdraw in all areas since they are in the best position to observe the overall quality and balance in the collection and are faced daily with the demands and needs of the university community.
We collect materials in the most useful format for the content and intended use, bearing in mind the institution’s technical infrastructure and staff expertise available to support patron use of those resources. The scope and depth of the library’s collections vary by the level of degree offered in the respective programs. The definitions listed in the next section were adopted from the IFLA collection development guidelines cited below.
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Section on Acquisition and Collection Development. (2001). Guidelines for a collection development policy using the conspectus model. [The Hague]: IFLA, Section on Acquisition and Collection Development.
Level | Definition | Program Types |
---|---|---|
Minimal Level |
A subject area which is out of scope for the College's mission, and in which few selections are made beyond very basic reference tools. |
Out of Scope |
Basic Level | A highly selective collection which serves to introduce and define the subject and to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere. It includes major dictionaries and encyclopedias, selected editions of important works, historical surveys, important bibliographies and a few major periodicals in the field. |
Undergraduate Minor |
Study Level | A collection which is adequate for undergraduate or graduate course work, or sustained independent study; that is, which is adequate to maintain knowledge of a subject required for limited or generalized purposes, of less than research intensity. It includes a wide range of basic monographs, complete collections of the works of more important writers, selections from the works of secondary writers, a selection of representative journals, and the reference tools and fundamental bibliographical apparatus pertaining to the subject. |
Undergraduate Minor
Undergraduate Major
Graduate Degree |
Research Level | A collection which includes the major source materials required for dissertations and independent research, including materials containing research reporting, new findings, scientific experimental results, and other information useful to researchers. It also includes all important reference works and a wide selection of specialized monographs, as well as a very extensive collection of journals and major indexing and abstracting services in the field. |
Graduate Degree Post-Graduate Certification Doctoral Degree |
Comprehensive Level | A collection in which a library endeavors, so far as is reasonably possible, to include all significant works of recorded knowledge (publications, manuscripts, other forms), in all applicable languages, for a necessarily defined and limited field. This level of collecting intensity is that which maintains a "special collection"; the aim, if not the achievement, is exhaustiveness. | Out of Scope |
Subject Area | Class | Collection Level |
---|---|---|
General Works | A | Basic Level |
Philosophy, Psychology, & Religion | B | Study Level |
Auxiliary Sciences of History | C | Study Level |
World History | D | Study Level |
History of the Americas | E | Study Level |
Local History of the Americas | F | Study Level |
Geography, Anthropology, & Recreation | G | Study Level |
Social Sciences | H | Research Level |
Business Management / Administration | HD28-70 | Research Level |
Business Administration / Cybersecurity | HD 30.38 | Research Level |
Business Management / HRM | HD4904.7 | Research Level |
Leadership - Leadership Studies | HD57.77 | Research Level |
Leadership - Nonprofit Leadership | HD62.6 | Research Level |
Business Administration | HF5001 - 6182.2 | Research Level |
Criminology | HV6001 - 6030 | Research Level |
Criminal Justice | HV7231 - HV9960 | Research Level |
Political Science | J | Study Level |
Law | K | Basic Level |
Education | L | Research Level |
Education - Curriculum & Instruction | LB | Research Level |
Music | M, ML, MT | Study Level |
Fine Arts | N | Study Level |
Language & Literature | P | Research Level |
English | PN, PR, PS | Research Level |
Science | Q | Study Level |
Medicine | R | Research Level |
Health - Physician Assistant Medicine | R697.P45 | Research Level |
Mental Health - Clinical Mental Health | R726.7 | Research Level |
Health - Physician Assistant Education | R847 - 847.7 | Research Level |
Mental Health Counseling | RC466 | Research Level |
Health - Physical Therapy | RM695 - 733 | Research Level |
Agriculture | S | Study Level |
Technology | T | Study Level |
Military Science | U | Basic Level |
Naval Science | V | Basic Level |
Bibliography & Library Science | Z | Basic Level |
Librarians will periodically evaluate digital and print collections in order to replace damaged materials, to identify gaps, and to anticipate future curricular needs. The elimination of such materials that are outdated, inaccurate, or academically unsupportive of current or near-future courses and programs is a necessary part of collection management.
Library resources may be deselected if:
Materials withdrawn from the library collection are generally processed by:
Faculty and Alumni Publications Policy:
The Library purchases works published by full-time tenure track and tenured faculty if they are listed as the primary author, editor, or creator. For these works the library will typically purchase a single physical copy for the circulating collection. Such works are primarily identified and obtained through collaboration with faculty; however, works are occasionally missed in this process. If this occurs, faculty can notify their Library liaison. For works in which a faculty member’s authorship is limited to a single chapter or entry, purchase is at the discretion of the relevant Library liaison in cooperation with the University Librarian. The Library will only collect titles which are published while faculty members are actively affiliated with the university. The retrospective purchase of works published before a faculty member became affiliated with the University is at the discretion of the University Librarian. The Library also collects faculty works of all formats, including working papers, e-books, conference and journal articles on the Digital Showcase. The library may collect works published by Alumni if they meet other general and subject collection development criteria.
Approved By: Jenny Horton, Library Director
Last Updated: 30 September 2022